| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Facebook 'impersonating' users to promote stories they've never seen to all their friends has happened again within the same organization. The incident involves Facebook recycling users' Likes and using them to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories without the explicit consent of the users [16465].
(b) The software failure incident of Facebook 'impersonating' users has also been reported to have happened at other organizations or with their products and services. The article mentions a case where a Facebook user documented instances where friends had liked brands that seemed completely out of character, indicating a similar issue occurring beyond just Facebook [16465]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the case of Facebook's Sponsored Stories feature. Users' likes were being recycled and attached to related content without their explicit consent or knowledge. This design flaw allowed advertisers to use users' likes to promote content that users may not have wanted to be linked with, leading to privacy concerns and potential damage to relationships [16465].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in how users' identities were being linked with content on Facebook that they may have been entirely unaware of or not endorsed. This operation flaw occurred as users' likes were being republished to their friends alongside posts about new products or content, potentially leading to misunderstandings or misrepresentations of users' preferences [16465]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the articles is related to Facebook's feature of recycling users' Likes and using them to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories without the explicit consent or knowledge of the users whose identities are being exploited [16465]. This failure is a result of how Facebook's system operates internally, specifically with its Sponsored Stories ad product, where users' Likes are attached to related content promoted to their friends as a 'Related Post' without their awareness or approval. The failure lies within the design and implementation of this feature within Facebook's system, leading to concerns about privacy violations and potential damage to relationships due to the unauthorized association of users with content they may not endorse or agree with. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
The software failure incident in the articles is related to Facebook's feature of recycling users' Likes and using them to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories without the explicit consent or knowledge of the users. This feature is part of Facebook's Sponsored Stories ad product where the 'Like' of a user can be attached to related content promoted to the user's friends as a 'Related Post' without the user's awareness. This process is completely invisible to the users whose identities are being exploited, and there is no indication to the user that their 'Like' is being attached to such related content [16465].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
The failure in this case is primarily due to human actions, specifically the actions taken by Facebook in implementing and utilizing the feature that recycles users' Likes without their explicit consent. The decision to attach users' Likes to related content for promotional purposes, without informing the users or providing them with the option to opt out, is a human-driven action that has led to the software failure incident reported in the articles [16465]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to hardware issues [16465].
(b) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to Facebook's feature of recycling users' Likes and using them to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories without the explicit consent or knowledge of the users. This issue originates in the software design and implementation of Facebook's Sponsored Stories ad product, where users' identities are linked with content they may not have endorsed or even seen [16465]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as non-malicious. The incident involves Facebook being accused of 'impersonating' its users without their consent to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories with which they may not want to be linked. Users' Likes are being recycled and attached to related content without their explicit consent or knowledge, leading to potential damage to relationships and privacy concerns [16465]. The failure is not due to malicious intent but rather a controversial feature of Facebook's Sponsored Stories ad product. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
The software failure incident related to Facebook's 'impersonating' users to promote stories they've never seen to all their friends can be attributed to poor decisions made by Facebook. The incident involved Facebook recycling users' Likes without their explicit consent to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories with which they may not want to be linked [16465]. This practice of attaching a user's 'Like' to related content without informing them or obtaining their consent can be seen as a poor decision on Facebook's part, leading to user dissatisfaction and privacy concerns. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Facebook was accused of 'impersonating' its users 'without their consent' to promote items in the news feeds of their friends. Critics claimed that Facebook was recycling users' Likes and using them to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories with which users may not want to be associated [16465].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is highlighted in the article where Facebook mentioned that in some cases, people may have liked things they were linked to accidentally, perhaps by inadvertently pressing a button on the mobile app. Additionally, Facebook mentioned that in the case of deceased individuals liking things, it could be that the social network was recycling likes from when they were still alive [16465]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a temporary failure. This is evident from the fact that the incident was related to Facebook's feature of recycling users' Likes and using them to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories without the explicit consent or knowledge of the users [16465]. The incident was not a permanent failure but rather a specific issue related to how Facebook's Sponsored Stories ad product was utilizing users' interactions on the platform to promote content to their friends without their full awareness or approval. |
| Behaviour |
omission, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles does not involve a crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions.
(b) omission: The software failure incident can be categorized under omission. Facebook was accused of recycling users' Likes without their consent and using them to promote 'Related Posts' about products and stories with which the users may not want to be linked. This omission of informing users about attaching their Likes to related content led to the failure incident [16465].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing issues where the system performs its intended functions but at the wrong time.
(d) value: The software failure incident does not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly.
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions.
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be described as unauthorized and deceptive behavior by Facebook, where users' identities were exploited without their explicit consent to endorse items in the news feeds of their friends. This behavior goes beyond just advertising on a user's behalf and can potentially damage relationships by associating users with inappropriate content or information they do not agree with [16465]. |